PKR will not snub the swearing in of its elected representatives and denied ever making the suggestion, party deputy president Azmin Ali has said, after the move drew criticism even from both sides of the divide, including the party’s own allies in Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
“There has been speculation in the media that KEADILAN may boycott the swearing-in ceremony of MPs at the Dewan Rakyat on June 24, 2013. I wish to state categorically that at no point of time did KEADILAN decide to carry out any boycott of the oath-taking process.
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“KEADILAN and Pakatan Rakyat had only decided to boycott the parliamentary briefing on June 11, 2013,” Azmin said in a statement issued after the party met to discuss the matter at its political bureau meeting late last night.
Anchor party PKR had recently suggested that the opposition snub the swearing-in process in protest against alleged fraud in Election 2013.
The mainstream media, however, published reports claiming that the opposition coalition had decided to proceed with its plan to shun the sitting.
Party vice-president Chua Tian Chang, however, clarified later that no official decision had been taken.
PKR’s allies DAP and PAS, however, have openly voiced their objection to the boycott idea and said that there was never any consensus to shun the swearing-in process.
In an immediate response, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia had threatened to drop PR elected representatives as members of Parliament should they proceed with the boycott.
Citing the Federal Constitution, Pandikar claimed that any lawmaker who misses the swearing-in process without valid reasons will be automatically dropped in six months.
Several opposition leaders have blasted the threat as unlawful, saying it exposes his blatant bias towards the opposition.
